With 99 percent of precincts reporting, it appears Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are going to finish with 25 percent of the vote each, with the difference between the two candidates being less than 100 votes.  Ron Paul appears poised to come in third with 21 percent of the vote, approximately 3,800 votes behind the [...]

The latest Iowa Poll released by the Des Moines Register shows Mitt Romney in first with 24 percent, Ron Paul in second with 22 percent, and Rick Santorum in third with 15 percent.  While some have questioned Romney’s commitment to Iowa, his first place finish in the final poll of the caucus season should perhaps [...]

It’s no secret Republicans nationally and in Iowa are anxious concerning the results of next Tuesday’s caucus.  The reason for such anxiety centers on whether the candidate or candidates who do well in Iowa go on to success in New Hampshire and nationally. The viability of Republican caucus winners is not simply an artifact of [...]

As we move into Christmas weekend, when presumably campaign ads will take on a more cheerful tone, it is useful to take stock of where things stand. First, endorsements can be tricky things. Rick Santorum nailed the big endorsements of Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley, but The Family Leader as an organization failed to [...]

Below are some of the more memorable quotes (or slight variations thereof) from the Republican debate sponsored by Fox News held in Sioux City on Thursday, December 15, 2011.   “After 7, three-hour debates, Barack Obama would not have a leg to stand on.”—- Newt Gingrich on debating President Obama “Iowans decided to take their [...]

A one line summary of tonight’s debate: A lot of Obama bashing, followed by a lot of cheering. It was a very different atmosphere tonight in Sioux City.  The event took on the feel of a pep rally rather than a debate, and the candidates came out firing as though they were all on the [...]

Much has already been written about what to expect at the Sioux City debate tonight, and what each candidate needs to do to build or sustain momentum.  Below are some questions that may not have been asked to this point. 1.)        How will Iowans react to seeing and hearing Jon Huntsman?  This is the last [...]

Much has already been written about what to expect at the Sioux City debate tonight, and what each candidate needs to do to build or sustain momentum.  Below are some questions that may not have been asked to this point. 1.)        How will Iowans react to seeing and hearing Jon Huntsman?  This is the first [...]

Despite being perceived as the so-called “target” going into the presidential candidate debate in Des Moines last Saturday, Newt Gingrich was not only able to hold his ground, but also faced relatively few direct attacks from his main rival, Mitt Romney (or others). One attack that may have gained some traction, however, is Michele Bachmann’s [...]

Here are a few immediate thoughts from the debate last night at Drake University in Des Moines. The debate began with Diane Sawyer once again commenting on the “seriousness” of Iowa voters.  Also of note is that four of the five men wore red ties, while Mitt Romney wore a blue tie.  Michele Bachmann also [...]

Below are some of the more memorable quotes (or slight variations thereof) from the Republican debate held at Drake University in Des Moines on December 10, 2011: “Only reason you’re not a career politician is because you lost to Teddy Kennedy in 1994.”—-Newt Gingrich to Mitt Romney “Newt, you probably got some of our taxpayer [...]

The recent “surge” of Newt Gingrich in national and statewide polls is yet another twist in the race to the 2012 nomination.  Indeed, the sheer strength in support reflected in recent polls suggests Republican voters have found a conservative and electable (in their minds) candidate. A New York Times/CBS poll released on Wednesday shows Gingrich with [...]

A poll released on Tuesday by the Pew Research Center shows that as voters learn more about the field of Republican presidential candidates, their perceptions of the candidates worsen. Not surprisingly, 58 percent of Democrats said their impressions of GOP candidates were getting worse the more they learned about the candidates.  Approximately one third of [...]

CEDAR FALLS – Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum will attend a presidential candidate education forum at 11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 9, in the lobby of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Peforming Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa. UNI and Iowa Public Radio (IPR) will host presidential candidates this fall to share their views [...]

1.)        Newt Gingrich will attempt to strengthen his appeal to social conservatives.  Despite early misgivings about Gingrich’s history of moral and ethical failings, leading conservative groups in the state, including the Family Leader, are now at least considering endorsing Gingrich.  Following the endorsement of the Manchester, New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper, the Gingrich campaign has [...]

In the movie, “Brewster’s Millions,” Richard Pryor plays the part of minor league pitcher, Montgomery Brewster, who inherits $1 million.  The inheritance comes with a catch, however.  If Monty can spend $30 million in 30 days, his take will increase to $300 million! Struggling to spend the money, Brewster begins running political ads in the [...]

Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his “Cut, balance, and grow” economic plan today, calling for a flat tax as a way to reform the current tax code and balance the budget.  Before his plan was even released, however, critics were quick to jump on the proposal as a not so veiled attempt to draw attention [...]

We finally have some breathing room between Republican debates, so it might be worthwhile to take stock of what we observed Tuesday night in Las Vegas and what we can expect between now and the next debate on November 9 at Oakland University in Michigan. First, while much has already been said and written about [...]

Kudos to the Iowa GOP for voting unanimously to hold the Republican Caucus on January 3, 2012.  (History suggests it is reasonable to assume the Democratic Party will hold its caucus on the same date.)  The decision by the Iowa GOP is noteworthy for three reasons. First, this decision was not without risk.  It was [...]